Collapsible and self-locking dipole antenna



' July 15, 1958 c. F. GOUDY 2,843,848

COLLAPSIBLE AND SELF-LOCKING DIPOLE ANTENNA Filed June 50, 1955 MIIIIIIIIIIIITTIII I VEN TOR.

F77 TOENE V COLLAPSEELE AND SELF-LOCKING DKPQLE ANTENNA Carl F. Goody, Sherburne, N. Y., assignor to Technical Appliance Corporation, Sherbnrne, N. id, a corporation of New York Application June 30, 1955, Serial No. 519,093

7 Claims. (Cl. 343--805) This invention relates to antennas, and more particularly to collapsible foldable dipole antennas.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a novel self-locking arrangement for the foldable or swingable arms of a collapsible dipole antenna.

Another object is to provide a simplified device forming part of a collapsible dipole antenna whereby the antenna arms can be precisely locked in their final operative antenna position.

A feature of the invention relates to a simplified and effective locking bracket for the swingable arms of an antenna, which bracket is formed from a single piece of sheet metal and provided with integral resilient locating and locking tongues whereby a swingable arm of the an" tenna can be accurately located and locked in perpendicular or other desired angular relation with respect to a cross-arm support or the like.

A further feature relates to the novel organization, arrangement and relative location and interconnection of parts which cooperate to provide a simplified and novel collapsible or foldable dipole antenna.

In the drawing, which shows by way of example, one preferred embodiment,

Fig. l is a perspective view of a foldable dipole antenna according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the antenna of Fig. 1, showing one of the arms in folded or collapsed position and showing the novel locating and locking bracket in more detail;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of Fig. 2 taken along the line 3-3 thereof;

Fig. 4 is a right-hand end view of Fig, 2.

While the invention is disclosed herein in connection with a collapsible antenna of the dipole kind, it will be understood that certain of its features may be used to locate and lock a part of any other kind of antenna. in ordinary dipole antennas, it is important that the dipole arms be located in fixed and accurate angular relation with respect to each other and usually with respect to a supporting post or cross-arm when the antenna is in use. On the other hand, for convenience of shipping,

storing and the like, the antenna arms should be foldable with respect to the cross-arm or support to which they are attached. Furthermore, when the antenna is to be set up for use, it is important that the antenna arms be firmly, accurately, and positively locked in their proper angular relation so as to be free from swinging vibration with rying the swingable dipole antenna arms 11, 12. Arms 11 and 12 may be made of any conductive rod or tubular conductive material, such for example as aluminum or similar material. The arms 11 and 12 may be of any desired cross section and are shown in the drawings as "nitecl States atom 2,843,848 Patented July 15, 1958 be formed from a single length of tubular metal stock with the section 14 shaped to the desired rectangular cross section. On the other hand, the sections 11 and 12 may be assembled as separate elements and the rectangular sections 13 and 14 can be formed with cylindrical tubular ends 15, 16, into which the sections 11 and 12 can be telescopecl with a drive fit. In any event the elements 11, 13, and 15 constitute a single rigid dipole arm; and the elements 12, 14, and 16 constitute another single rigid dipole arm.

Each of the said arms is pivotally attached to the bracket member 17, this bracket member consisting of a rigid metal sheet which is folded back on itself to form a channel-shaped member having the substantially fiat wall portion 123 and the integral parallel side wall portions 19, iii). The spacing between the side wall portions 19 and 2'3 is substantially the same as the width w of the rectangular portions 13 and 14 of the antenna systems. Each of the portions 13 and 14 is pivotally supported in the bracket 17 between the side walls thereof by suitable rivets or pivot pins 21, 22, each of which passes through a corresponding opening in the respective antenna sections 13, 14, so as to permit each antenna arm to be independently swung around its inner end within the bracket 17. The bracket 17 can be rigidly attached to the support or cross arm 10 for example by a pair of rivets 23, 24-. The rivet 23 extends through the cross arm 10 and preferably through both side walls. 19, 20 of the bracket. ()n the other hand, the rivet 24 extends through the cross arm 10 but terminates at the side wall 20 so as not to obstruct the space between said side walls. To facilitate fastening of the bracket to the arm 10 by rivet 24-, preferably the central lower portion of side Wall 19 has a cut-out portion 25, and the other side wall 20 has a lug portion 26 to which the rivet 24 is anchored, thus rigidly fastening the bracket 17 in a perpendicular relation to the cross arm 10.

The end sections of Wall 18 of the bracket are offset out of the plane of the central portion of wall 18, and each such end portion is doubly slitted as indicated by the numerals 27, 28, and 29, 30 (Fig. 3) to provide respective integral flexible tongues 31, 3'2, which are bent inwardly of the bracket channel. The normal position of one of these tongues, namely tongue 31., is shown in Fig. 2 when the corresponding antenna arm is folded around its pivot pin or rivet 22 so as to lie substantially parallel to the cross-arm 1d. The other tongue, namely tongue 32, is shown in Fig. 2 in its flexed locking position Where it is engaged by the section 13 of the other dipole arm when that arm is swung to a position perpendicular to the cross-arm 10. In other words, when the antenna arms are swung to their operative position, namely in-line with each other and perpendicular to the cross-arm lit, the sections 13 and 14 are prevented from shifting laterally with respect to the channeled bracket 17 because of their cooperating rectangular relation with flex the tongues 31 and 32 into planar alignment with the corresponding offset ends 33, 34 of the wall 18. When the sections 13 and 14 of the antenna arms lie flat against the ofiset portions 33 and 34, they are in precise in-line array perpendicular to the cross-arm 10.

In order to lock the antenna arms in this precise in-line array, the side wall 19 is provided at opposite ends with respective slits 35, 36 which terminate in circular windows 37, 38. The portion of the wall 19 between the window 37 and the end of the slit is bent inwardly to form a locking tongue 39. Likewise the portion of the Wall 19 between the window 38 and the end of the slit 36 is bent inwardly to form a locking tongue 4th. With this construction it will be apparent that the tongues 39 and 40 are rigid in a direction parallel to the cross-arm but are flexible in a direction perpendicular thereto. Fig. 3 shows these tongues in their normal position where they snap under the lower face of the respective rectangu lar sections 13 and 14 of the antenna arms when the said arms are in their precise aligned relation. For this purpose the slits 35 and 36 are located in spaced relation to the respective offset flat sections 33 and 34 of the wall 18 a distance which is just slightly greater than the width w of the antenna arms, Consequently, when the arms are swung to their precise in-line position they slightly flex the tongues 31 and 32 and when the said arms abut against the flat ofr'set wall sections 33 and 34, then the flexible tongues 39, 40 snap inwardly against the undersurface of the antenna arms.

By these arrangements of locking tongues and pressure tongues, the antenna arms are accurately and rigidly locked in aligned position because the tongues 39 and 4d are rigid in a direction parallel to the length of the crossarm 10 and the said arms are capable of no relative swinging movement once they are turned to their in-line locked position.

When it is desired to fold the antenna, it is merely necessary to insert a simple tool, such as a screw driver, between the wall 26 of the bracket and the corresponding flexible tongue, for example tongue 41 to deflect the latter tongue outwardly just suflicient to permit the corresponding antenna arm to be swung downwardly, as seen in Fig. 2, to clear the slit 36, whereupon the said arm can be easily and further swung to its folded position.

The foregoing described arrangement thus provides an automatic aligning and positive locking arrangement for the arms of the dipole, the locking being effected by a relatively simple and inexpensively manufactured locking device which can be fabricated out of a single piece of sheet metal and thus avoiding the use of coiled springs which must be assembled as separate elements in the conventional antenna locking device. Likewise the collapsin-g and setting up of the antenna arms can be achieved without requiring any separate tools. In fact, no tools whatever may be necessary since the tongues 39 and 40 can be manually deflected sufficiently to enable the respective antenna arms to clear them when the antenna is being folded or collapsed.

While one particular embodiment has been described and disclosed herein, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein withou departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable antenna, comprising an antenna element, a rigid support for said elements, means swingably 'attaching said element adjacent one end to said support including a member rigidly fastened to said support, said member having a pair of flexible tongues located with their planes substantially at right angles and arranged to be flexed at right angles to each other and engaging opposite surfaces of said element when said element is turned to a predetermined angular relation wherein one of said tongues snaps over said element to provide a locking latch which is rigid in the plane of swinging movement of said element.

2. A foldable antenna, comprising an antenna element, a rigid support for said element, a bracket attached to said support, means pivotally attaching said element adjacent one end to said bracket, said bracket having a first integral flexible tongue engaging said element and tending to swing the element towards a collapsed position when in engagement therewith, and a second integral flexible tongue at right angles to the first tongue and arranged to snap into engagement with said element when it is swung from its collapsed position to its final set position whereby said element is positively locked in said set position in mutually perpendicular directions by engagement with both of said tongues.

3. A foldable antenna according to claim 2, in which said bracket is in the form of a channeled sheet metal member and the said antenna element is pivotally attached to the side walls of the channel, said channel having a portion extending at right angles to said support and having a width which is substantially the same as the Width of the said end of the antenna element whereby said element is positively locked against swinging movement in mutually perpendicular planes when it is in its said set position.

4. A foldable antenna, comprising an antenna element, a rigid support for said element, a bracket attached to said support, means pivotally attaching said element adjacent one end to said bracket, said bracket having a rectangular channel and said element having a corresponding rectangular end which is pivotally mounted within said channel, one wall of said channel having a struck-up flexible tongue to engage one face of said rectangular end and another struck-up flexible lug at right angles to said tongue and. engaging an opposite face of said rectangular end for positively restraining said element against motion in mutually perpendicular dircections.

5. A foldable antenna according to claim 4, in which the said tongues are flexible in mutually perpendicular directions to prevent shifting of the said antenna element in said channel when said element is swung to a position perpendicular to said support.

6. A foldable dipole antenna, comprising a pair of dipole elements, a rigid support, a single bracket in which the adjacent ends of said dipole elements are pivotally supported, said bracket having a flat reference face for said elements and against which the elements abut when they are swung to in-line position, said bracket having a first pair of flexible tongues engaging said elements when they are in alignment and a second pair of flexible tongues which are normally out of the path of said elements as they are being pivoted from collapsed position to a position in alignment with each other, said second flexible tongues being at right angles to the first-mentioned tongues and automatically snapping against the said elements to lock them in their aligned relation.

7. A foldable dipole antenna according to claim 6, in which said bracket is in the form of a single metal sheet bent back upon itself to form a substantially flat bottom wall and a pair of parallel side walls, said antenna elements being pivotally supported between said side walls, one of said side walls having integral struck-up portions constituting said second flexible tongues and said bottom wall also having struck-up flexible portions constituting the first mentioned tongues.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,816,977 Kloss Aug. 4, 1931 2,217,996 Sasgen Oct. 15, 1940 2,680,196 Fox et al. June 1, 1954 

